Clothesline support and tightener



y 3, 1951 w. w. MILLER 2,559,130

CLOTHESLINE SUPPORT AND TIGHTENER Filed April 2, 1947 JNVENTOR. WALLACE W MILLER AGENT Patented July 3, 1951 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CLOTHESLINE SUPPORT AND TIGHTENER Wallace W. Miller, El Cajon, Calif.

Application April 2, 1947, Serial No. 738,953

4 Claims. 1

My invention relates to a clothesline support and tightener and the objects of my invention are:

First, to provide a support and tightener of this class for clotheslines which may be readily and easily connected with conventional pipe for constructing adjustable supports for a plurality of clotheslines;

Second, to provide a support and tightener of this class which is readily adapted for use in connectionwith a plurality of clotheslines whereby adjustment of a single screw crank is arranged to apply tension to all of said clotheslines in connection therewith at opposite sides of said support and tightener;

Third, to provide a clothesline support and tightener of this class which is very simple and easy to install in connection with conventional standard pipe in the construction of clothesline supports;

Fourth, to provide a clothesline support and tightener of this class which is very compact;

Fifth, to provide a clothesline support and tightener of this class which saves much time in the tightening of a plurality of clotheslines; and

Sixth, to provide a clothesline support and tightener of this class which is very simple and economical of construction, efficient in operation and which will not readily deteriorate or get out of order.

With these and other objects in view, as will appear hereinafter, my invention consists of certain novel features of construction, combination and arrangement of parts and portions as will be hereinafter described in detail and particularly set forth in the appended claims, reference being had to the accompanying drawing and to the characters of reference thereon forming a part of this application in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of my clothesline support and tightener; Fig.2 is a perspective view of a pipe B arranged to be used in connection with the support of the opposite ends of the lines from those as shown in Fig. 1 of the drawing; Fig. 3 is an enlarged side elevational view of my clothesline support and tightener and Fig. 4 is a sectional view thereof taken from the line 44 of Fig. 3 showing parts and portions in elevation to facilitate the illustration.

Similar characters of reference refer to similar parts and portions throughout the several views of the drawing.

The arm support I, bracket 2, screw crank 3, T fitting 4, set screws 5 and 6 and the pin 1 constitute the principal parts and portions of my clothesline support and tightener.

The arm support I, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawing, is provided with a hollow tubular portion Ic having open end portions Ia and I b through which conventional standard pipe may be extended and fixed by the intermediate set screw 5 screw threaded in said hollow tubular portion 1c, as shown best in Fig. 4 of the drawing. This arm support I is T-shaped in form and is provided with a downwardly extending leg portion Id pivoted at its lower end on the pin I extending through opposite sides of the bracket 2 which is provided with an internally screw threaded portion 2a at its lower end arranged to be fitted in screw threaded relationship with a conventional standard pipe section embedded in the ground and extending vertically therefrom, all as shown best in Figs. 1 and 4 of the drawing. The bracket 2 is provided with an upwardly extending portion 21) having an internally screw threaded boss 20 positioned near the hollow tubular portion Ic of the arm support I. Screw threaded in the boss 20 is the externally screw threaded crank 3 having a bearing end portion 3a engageable with the slotted portion Ie of the arm support I, all as shown best in Fig. 4 of the drawing. The T fitting 4 is substantially the same in construction as a conventional standard pipe reduction T having an enlarged diameter portion 4a at right angles to opposed open re duced diameter portions 4b and 40. This T fitting 4 is provided with a set screw 6 arranged to fix the pipe B therein and prevent the same from shifting longitudinally in the T fitting 4.

The operation of my clothesline support and tightener is substantially as follows:

A conventional standard pipe C is first embedded in the ground and the internally screw threaded portion 2a of the bracket 2 is screw threaded on the upper end of said pipe C. Then the pipe A is inserted through the tubular portion Ic of the arm support I and the pipe A forms one clothesline arm arranged to support adjacent ends of a plurality of clotheslines E, as shown in Fig. l of the drawing. The set screw 5 is tightened upon the pipe A and this fixes the pipe A in the hollow tubular portion Ic of the arm support I. The T fitting 4 is placed in connection with the pipe D in a similar manner and the pipe B is inserted through the T fitting 4 and is fixed in place by the set screw 6. The clotheslines E are strung intermediate the arms formed by the pipes A and B and the screw crank 3 is operated in a clockwise direction until the bearing end 3a thereof forces the upper end of the arm support I away from the T fitting 4 a substantial distance creating tension in the clotheslines E as desired. Thus, as slack develops in the lines E they may be tightened very quickly and easily by rotation of the screw crank 3 which pivots the arm support I in a direction away from the T fitting 4 on the pipe D and the equalization of tension in the clotheslines E may be readily realized due to the position of the arm support I and bracket 2 in substantially aligned relationship with the axis of the pipe C.

Though I have shown and described a particular construction, combination and arrangement of parts and portions, I do not wish to be limited to this particular construction, combination and arrangement, but desire to include in the scope of my invention the construction, combination and arrangement substantially as set forth in the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. Means for supporting adjacent ends of a plurality of clotheslines, comprising an arm in connection with opposite ends of said clotheslines, an arm support having a tubular portion through which said arm is positioned, a bracket having a pivotal bearing in connection therewith on which said arm support is pivoted, a

screw crank in connection with said bracket in spaced relation with said pivotal bearing engageable with said arm support for pivoting the same relatively to said bracket and a pipe in connection with the lower end of said bracket, the axis of which is intermediate opposite ends of said arm connected to said clotheslines, said supporting arm being substantially T-shaped in form and being pivoted at its lower end in connection with said bracket.

2. In a clothesline support and tightener of the class described, the combination of a bracket having an internally screw threaded portion at its lower end, an upwardly extending portion provided with an internally screw threaded boss, a screw crank in connection with said internally screw threaded boss and extending outwardly thereof at opposite sides, an arm support substantially T-shaped in form having a horizontally disposed tubular portion at its upper end and a pivotal bearing at its lower end and a pin extending through the pivotal bearing of said arm support and said bracket whereby said arm support is pivotally mounted in connection with said bracket.

3. In a clothesline support and tightener of the class described, the combination of a bracket having an internally screw threaded portion at its lower end, an upwardly extending portion provided with an internally screw threaded boss. a screw crank in connection with said internally screw threaded boss and extending outwardly thereof at opposite sides, an arm support substantially T-shaped in form having a horizontally disposed tubular portion at its upper end and a pivotal hearing at its lower end, a pin extending through the pivotal bearing of said arm support and said bracket whereby said arm support is pivotally mounted in connection with said bracket and one end of said screw crank engaging said arm support near said tubular portion thereof, the opposite end of said screw crank having a handle portion thereon outwardly of said bracket.

4. In a clothesline support and tightener of the class described, thecombination of a bracket having an internally screw threaded portion at its lower end, an upwardly extending portion provided with an internally screw threaded boss, a screw crank in connection with said internally screw threaded boss and extending outwardly thereof at opposite sides, an arm support substantially T-shaped in form having a horizontally disposed tubular portion at its upper end and a pivotal bearing at its lower end, a pin extending through the pivotal bearing of said arm support and said bracket whereby said arm support is pivotally mounted in connection with said bracket, one end of said screw crank engaging said arm support near said tubular portion thereof, the opposite end of said screw crank having a handle portion thereon outwardly of said bracket and said tubular portion of said arm support having a set screw therein intermediate opposite ends of said tubular portion adapted to hold an arm in the tubular portion of the arm support.

WALLACE W. MILLER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 

